Anti-freezing box for turbine shafts



Patented'Apr. 13, 1886.

(No Model.)

B. P. 82; J. B. BEGKWITH 82; J. BURSON.

ANTI FREEZING BOX FOR TURBINE SHAFTEL WITNESSES UNITED. STATES PATENTrFIcE,

BENJAMIN F. BEGKVVITH, JAMES B. BEOK\VITH, AND JOSEPH BURSON, OF PLUMHOLLOV, IOVA.

ANTI-FREEZING BOX FOR TURBINE SHAFTS.

SFPECIPICA'I'IQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,730, dated April13, 1886.

Application filed December 30, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. BECK- WITH, JAMES B. BECKWITH, andJOSEPH BUR- soN, all of Plum Hollow, in the county of Frelnont and Stateof Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAnti-Freezing Boxes for Turbine Shafts; and we do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which re will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is aperspective view of as much of a turbine water-wheel and of its frame asis necessary to illustrate our invention; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both thefigures.

Our invention has relation to packing-boxes for the shafts of turbinewater-wheels; and it consists in the improved construction andcombination of parts, as hereinafter more full described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates a portion of thetop of the turbine wheel, and B is the vertical shaft of the same.

The upper end of this shaft is passed through a cross timber, O, to thelower side of which is secured a flange, D, upon the upper end of atube, E, which surrounds the shaft and extends from below the depth inthe water at 5 which it will freeze to above the surface of the water.The lower end of the tube E is enlarged to form a packing-box, F, ofgreater exterior diameter than the tube itself, and having a packing, G,of any suitable material,

placed within it, and the reduced upper end of sleeve H of a cap, I,fits up within the lower portion of the packing-box F on the lower endof the tube B, and compresses the packing G, the cap being secured adjustably 5 in operative position by means of bolts J, passing throughvertical apertures in the enlarged portion of the cap I and the enlargedportion of the lower end of the tube E, as shown, and by means of thenuts J on the ends of these Serial No. 187,073, (No model.)

bolts the reduced portion of the cap I may be drawn more or less closelyup into the en larged lower end of the tube E, so as to thoroughlycompress the packing G, as the latter becomes worn around the shaft B bythe revolution of the shaft, thereby preventing any leakage of the oilor fluid surrounding the shaft above the said packing, as will bereadily understood.

The tube is filled with a fluid which will not freeze, and which at thesame time may serve as a lubricant; and it will thus be seen that theshaft will be free to" turn within the tube at all times, theunprotected portion of the shaft being below the point in the water atwhich it freezes, and the upper portion of the shaft being surrounded bythe fluid,which will not freeze, and which fluid is prevented fromescaping at the lower end of the tube by the packingbox.

This device may be used for other shafts which are operated under water,the tube in all cases extending from above the surface of the water to adepth at which the water will not be liable to freeze, and in thismanner such shafts may be operated during the entire winter as long timeas water is able to flow under the ice for driving the turbine wheel,

without the necessity of chopping the ice away from the shaft, so thatit may revolve at each time the shaft has been stopped a sufficientlength of time to allow the water to freeze around it.

Glycerine or some noirfreezing lubricant is the most preferable fluid touse in the tube, although oil may be used, as it will not freeze as hardas ice, and will easily be thawed as soon as the shaft is revolvedwithin it and a slight heat created, when it will be sufficiently softnot to interfere with the revolutions of the shaft, and also besufficiently soft to lubri- 9o cate the shaft in the packing-box.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- The combination of a turbinewater-wheel shaft, a tube having a flange at its upper end and securedby the saidflange to a cross-beam above the water, and having its lowerend enthe wheel and the lower bearings of the shaft,

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereuntoaflixed our signatures in presence of' two witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. BECKWITH. J AMES B. BEGKWITH. JOSEPH BURSON.

Witnesses:

W. R. PAUL, W. R. BURSON.

the tube being filled with a non-freezing fluid, as and for the purposeshown and set forth.

